


Leave of Absence

by peonydee



Series: fried donuts and steamed buns [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Ficlet, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 10:42:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6002833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peonydee/pseuds/peonydee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>wherein Ladybug tells Chat Noir she needs a leave of absence– among other things</p>
            </blockquote>





	Leave of Absence

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mikochan_noda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikochan_noda/gifts).



One chilly spring morning, before they could part after their traditional fist bump, Ladybug grabbed Chat Noir's wrist. He must have been intent on rushing back for some important matter to his civilian counterpart, but Chat merely cocked his head back at her curiously, green-shielded eyes attentive.

"I need a favor, _chaton_ ," she said, after a few beats of silence.

"Anything, my lady," he said.

 “You should ask what favor first, you know? We're not exactly free agents all the time."

"Don't you worry your pretty head on how I'll manage the unending demand on my person. What can I do for you?"

She sighed in exasperation.

"I'd say 'please' but it'll be strange coming from me instead of the supplicant."

In spite of herself, she smiled. "Not now, I guess, since I'm about to change back. Meet me later at the usual spot?"

"Of course."

Ladybug's explanation was more of a demonstration, one that later extended into a series of discreet training sessions. Chat Noir's penchant for bad luck seemed to be a major factor to consider; no matter how well he mimicked the sequence of steps she showed him, something around him thwarted his efforts, be it a stray balloon, a lost pigeon, or even a bouncing coin that was originally thrown into the fountain well away from them.

Two weeks later, he managed to banish an akuma with Ladybug's yoyo by summoning her powers to the object.

"Fly to the sky, little ladybug," Chat yelled. "And bring me a piece of bread!"

An odd summon it was, but not any weirder than any of the objects dropped by a Lucky Charm. A loaf of bread appeared from nowhere to drop onto the escaping akuma, sponge off its darkness, before breaking to crumbs and releasing a cleansed butterfly. As was typical of Chat Noir when it came to her, it was only after then that he pressed her for details on her hiatus.

"How long will you be gone," he asked later that evening, during a break in their nightly patrols.

They were sitting atop one of their favorite rooftops, one that allowed them to hide from prying eyes but still offered a stupendous view of the city at night.

"I'm not sure," she said, trying to be truthful. "It depends on how early I'd have to stop."

"Any estimation at all?"

"A year and a few months, I guess. Will you be all right?"

"Of course, I'll be all right. Don't worry about me--this is the least I can do for you."

"I wasn't worried. At least not yet."

"And I guess a year and a half makes sense. Get your feet wet first, then back away when you're more stable."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "I suppose you can look at things that way."

"The market's favorable, as far as my civilian counterpart can tell. It's a bit risky, but any new business is risky. Don't fret about losing money for the first year or so."

"More than the first year, I'd say. Think of it as an investment that's not necessarily for the money."

"I won't be able to give you much of hand in that project of yours, though." His tone was rueful. His hand ran through his messy hair a few times as he pondered on this. "I mean between civilian work and this."

"I'm sure you'll manage. I trust your weakness to guilt trip, if anything."

Chat Noir turned to her then, a frown marring his handsome face. "Ladybug, have I done something to you by any chance? Something to make you mad? I mean something that's out of the ordinary that's causing this cruel streak of yours."

She swatted him. "Cruel streak..."

"No, no, jokes aside, my lady. Did I?"

"You haven't, okay? Not really."

"You're being unnecessarily mysterious about things.... So I take it, you weren't talking about opening your new line?"

"Well, not yet. I don’t think I can. Something came up…”

She could see him gathering a list of worst-case scenarios in his head and knew she needed to head it off before he works himself up into panic.

“Oh all right! I wasn't sure how to tell you, but my husband and I are having a baby."

"... What?"

Ladybug smiled at him sheepishly and shrugged. "We're... We’re having a baby?"

She was completely unprepared with how he melted at the news, jaws slacking and eyes widening, practically vibrating with excitement and… _Joy_. He pounced on her, that she expected, arms gently handling her even as he pressed her close to his chest.

"Really?" he breathed wonderingly. "A baby? That's amazing, Ladybug! Congratu--hey, wait a minute!"

Chat Noir firmly though carefully peeled her off him to an arms-width distance, ensuring she could see his indignation.

"You're telling Chat Noir," he sputtered. "Before you've even told your own husband, the father of the tender babe you're carrying?!"

"I wanted to be sure things are settled on this end."

"That's--That's ridiculous. Mari--!!"

Her pout sharpened to a glare the instant he slipped. "Chat, rules."

"Oh, hang the rules! How long?"

"I've missed a couple of months so... Not very long, I guess. I'm seeing the doctor on Wednesday. I was going to invite my husband to go with me, but I wonder if I should go by myself first just to be sure."

"Your husband will be there, I'm sure. He'll be able to clear his schedule for something that important. Are you kidding?"

"I'll be glad to have him along, then." Ladybug rose to her feet to prepare to go home, but her partner had other ideas.

"My laaaady!" Chat wailed, clutching at one of her legs.

"Yes, little kitty."

"I want to hug you and kiss you and... Other things."

"Well, so do I, but I'm being patient here."

"Are we really gonna be like this? Even like right now? With a LIFE EVENT as important as this upon us?"

Ladybug glared at him once again, even as she wiggled free from his grabby hands. "Don't push the pregnant lady, Chat."

He retreated to a corner of their tiny sitting space, his inanimate tail impossibly drawing circles around his feet.

"I'm jealous of you, my lady," he muttered. "It sounds like you and your hubby have been lovey dovey together. My wife is being so cold to me. Denying my advances and such."

"The sooner we finish our last sweep for tonight, the sooner you'd be able to annoy the shit out of your wife in the privacy of your home."

"You wound me."

Ladybug rolled her eyes and prepared to jump off their roof top. Once again her partner stopped her. His grip was firm this time and the wide-eyed look he trained on her was devoid of teasing.

"You can't jump off a roof."

"What do you mean I can't jump of a roof?" she demanded impatiently. "We just skipped through half of Paris by her rooftops--what makes it different now?"

"But you're pregnant."

"I didn't just get pregnant two minutes ago!" she huffed before shaking free and using her yoyo to swing to the neighboring row of buildings.

She glanced back to see Chat Noir stare after her, looking ten kinds of appalled, before completely losing his balance and toppling off the edge of the roof.

"CHAAAAT!" Ladybug wailed even as she plunged down to catch him. With his years of practice, Chat Noir spun them around mid-air, offering his back to the dust and ensuring his body shielded hers.

"Now I'm worried!" she said, yanking him up with fretful vehemence. "How are you even going to survive nine months?"

He caught her by the waist as she restarted her sweep on foot, grinning wickedly, unrepentantly. "You're going on to be on house- _Agreste_ , that's how."

With a long suffering groan, Marinette gave up on patrol and dragged her hubby cat home.

021316 1423

**Author's Note:**

> "fly to the sky, little ladybird, bring me a piece of bread!" came from a Polish nursery rhyme, "Little Ladybirds' Anthem." read about it on Wikipedia and thought it interesting


End file.
